# Dylan fans: Before the Flood or Rolling Thunder Revue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626 "2018-02-11T14:35:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/1 "2018-02-11T14:35:21Z")
Up until recently I would have said the tour with The Band, but I’ve been watching a lot of concert footage of the Rolling Thunder Revue lately. I don’t know if this wasn’t Bob’s peak as a live performer. I liked Hard Rain, but it barely scratched the surface. What say you, Dylan fans? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/2 "2018-02-11T18:50:29Z")
Rather than the **Hard Rain** album, try the two-disc **Bootleg Series No. 5, Live Rolling Thunder 1975** recording. That set’ll snap yer stix. That being said, I’ll always prefer a performance with The Band. NOBODY beats The Band. Before the Flood tops Rolling Thunder for me. RT is on the fiddle-heavy side, IMO, because of the fiddler chick Bobbo was enamored of at the time. Best of all, of course, is the Royal Albert Hall concert (1966, Bootleg series No, 4)) with The Band minus Levon Helm, who had the sniffles that night or something. The sub drummer is fine; the rest of the perf is so amazing you don’t notice the damn drumming anyway. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/3 "2018-02-11T19:14:47Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Rather than the **Hard Rain** album, try the two-disc **Bootleg Series No. 5, Live Rolling Thunder 1975** recording. That set’ll snap yer stix. > > That being said, I’ll always prefer a performance with The Band. NOBODY beats The Band. Before the Flood tops Rolling Thunder for me. RT is on the fiddle-heavy side, IMO, because of the fiddler chick Bobbo was enamored of at the time. > > Best of all, of course, is the Royal Albert Hall concert (1966, Bootleg series No, 4)) with The Band minus Levon Helm, who had the sniffles that night or something. The sub drummer is fine; the rest of the perf is so amazing you don’t notice the damn drumming anyway. Levon quit after Forest Hills and didn’t come back until well into the Basement sessions. He hated the booing. So he wasn’t on those tours. It was Mickey Jones. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/4 "2018-02-11T19:18:41Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Levon quit after Forest Hills and didn’t come back until well into the Basement sessions. He hated the booing. So he wasn’t on those tours. It was Mickey Jones. …who died just 4 days ago. mmm ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/5 "2018-02-11T20:22:47Z")
I saw him on the Before The Flood tour, but somehow (slap to head) missed the Rolling Thunder tour. The show with the Band was a good’un, but I love the recordings of the RT and imagine it was really something to see live. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/6 "2018-02-11T20:54:16Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > …who died just 4 days ago. Well, that’s a shame. He was my favorite Monkee. ---
**Author:** ![NeonMadman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/58f4c7/32.png) [@NeonMadman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NeonMadman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2018, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dylan-fans-before-the-flood-or-rolling-thunder-revue/808626/7 "2018-02-13T22:17:17Z")
Both are excellent, but I’ll take the RTR any day. I’m probably biased, though, since the RTR was the first time I saw Dylan live.